Department - Ethics

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Safeguarding Guidance for Children and Young People in Sport

Sport Ireland & Sport NI are committed to ensuring that the best interests of children and young people attending our services are of paramount importance. Our guiding principles and this guidance document are underpinned by national policy and legislation in ROI Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, and the requirements under The Children First Act 2015, and in Northern Ireland – the Children (NI) Order and Cooperating to Safeguarding Children and Young People 2017.

This guidance is also informed by Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, The Child Care Act 1991, The Protections for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998 and the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016. In Northern Ireland guidance is also from Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 and Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

The aim of this guidance document is to help sporting bodies to create a culture of safety that promotes the welfare of children and young people engaged in sporting activities. This guidance document supports National Governing Bodies to meet their child safeguarding and child protection responsibilities which are cognisant of, and in line with, requirements under policy/legislation and with best practice. It does this through the provision of guidance and information in relation to the carrying out of a risk assessment, the development of a Child Safeguarding Statement and the development and implementation of policies and procedures for safeguarding and protection of children and young people.

This guidance is for the benefit for everyone involved in children and young people’s sport. It has been developed to support National Governing Bodies for Sport in the ROI, and in NI, to meet their child safeguarding and child protection responsibilities.